Originally Posted by Paul L
Originally Posted by Helmet Head
I contend that "I didn't see him" almost never occurs when the cyclist has been riding up ahead in the driver's path positioned centerish in the lane, and, in the extremely rare case when ...
In general "I didn't see him" almost always happens when the cyclist's and motorist's paths cross at a single point, or if the cyclist is riding up ahead outside of the motorist's path, like in a bike lane.
And I contend it depends completely on the time of day. The only accident I have been in as an adult happened when I was riding in the middle of my lane and a approaching car turned left and t-boned me ...
What you describe, Paul, a left hook, is not what I was talking about. A left hook is a case where the cyclist's and motorist's path meet at a single point (in the intersection), but are otherwise non-coincident. That's exactly when "I didn't see him happens".
What I'm contending is that "I didn't see him" does not happen when the cyclist is riding in the motorist's path for some time, not just at one point as in your example.
In other words, I'm talking about the cyclist and motorist traveling on the same road, in the same lane, for some significant amount of time/distance, with the cyclist ahead of the motorist, and not off to the side and/or in a bike lane. I'm saying in that situation, the "I didn't see him" phenomenon essentially does not happen.